10 Green Tips Back to School

That time of year has come again! The kids are heading back to school and they are filled with excitement to see their friends and experience new things. The new school year is a new beginning filled with new teachers, experiences, and lessons. You can start off in the right direction by being environmentally friendly in your preparations for this school year. Take some advice from the Leafmen and follow these ten tips for going green to ensure you have an EPIC school year!

From the creators of Ice Age, the year’s funniest, most exhilarating animated adventure comes home as EPIC debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray, and DVD this August 20 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by Chris Wedge (The Ice Age Franchise) and featuring an amazing voice cast including Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Pitbull, and Beyoncé, the blockbuster film comes home just in time to help families become one with nature and end the summer in Epic style.

1. Before heading to the store in search of supplies, take inventory of what items are left over from last year that can still be used this time around. Shopping for school can be exciting with all of the bright, fun items! Try to make sure you aren’t forgetting what you came for and don’t buy any unnecessary products that will go to waste.

2. When you have reduced your list of school supplies to the necessities, ensure that you think about what you buy. Look for pens and pencils that can be refilled or supplies that are made from recycled product. Read the labels and make smart decisions to help preserve the magic of Moonhaven!

3. There are so many ways to decrease the pollutants created by getting to and from school each day! If your child’s school has a bussing system, let them take the bus with their neighborhood friends each day. For older kids who live close to school, walking or biking each day not only provides them with exercise, but also completely eliminates any pollution from cars.

4. The Leafmen made their own clothes and armor from natural products to help protect the environment. You can also make a difference with your clothes by arranging a clothing swap party with some of your kids’ friends! Everyone will walk away with new clothes and a happy conscience when they realize they are helping the environment!

5. The end of the day can be quite hectic as you run around dropping kids off at various after school activities! You can save your sanity and the earth by setting up a carpool schedule with other parents. Bonus: your kids will love the extra time with their friends!

6. When packing lunch for your little ones, keep the residents of Moonhaven on your mind. Invest in reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, and food containers. The kids will probably have tons of fun picking out lunch supplies with fun patterns and themes! Buying these products will also conserve tons of unnecessary waste!

7. The packaging isn’t the only part of lunch you can change to become more green! Send healthy, eco-friendly snacks and lunches with your little ones each day. Things like local, organic fruits and veggies are a great addition to your kids’ lunch!

8. In Epic, Queen Tara wears a gorgeous dress made from flower petals and leaves! You can get creative like her by changing the style of your backpack! Instead of purchasing a new bag every year, have a craft day and let your kids change up their bag with patches, paint, or other supplies.

9. Find out if your school already has a recycling program in place. If they don’t, take a stand and help set one up for each classroom! If recycling is already part of the plan, be sure to inform your own kids of the benefits of recycling so that they will participate!

10. Consider buying used books for your young students! Look online for gently used books or visit a local bookstore. This tip benefits students from grade school through college, when textbooks get extra expensive!

About Teri

Teri Hardy is a 30-something married, mom of 7 and the face behind the popular online publication, Motherhood Defined as well as the founder of Mom Powered Media. Known as the Iowa Mom blogger by her local peers and “The Fairy Blogmother” worldwide. She loves to write, doodle & go, go, go. Control freak, master multi-tasker and shopaholic. Ms. Hardy has professional experience in working closely with clients on brand ambassadorships, client outreach services, content creation and creative social media advertising exposure.

Thank you for the back to school tips. it is indeed easy to waste products and create more trash for our environment when we buy out of conveinence . It is easier to buy reusable products, take care of them, and REUSE!!

What a fun way to help us remember to think about our purchases for back to school as well as lunches etc. You have to stay organized to use school supplies that you might have bought & stored away for the next year. But with all the help on pinterest & blog sites, if you need help organizing, you can find help on the web. Like the great tips you have just given us. Thank you.

My childs school is in the neighborhood, so we are already saving the environment by not having to use the bus or car. And I love the first tip because I always buy extras and then when the end of the year comes I have a few leftover to add to the new school year! Great tips. I have not tried swapping clothes with other parents, but I have given clothes to the Church and school.

#10 is my favorite! I have always loved the library and treasures that I find in second hand bookstores and could never understand a lot of people’s obsession with “brand new books”. Hopefully booksharing will become more popular with so many of us trying to go green these days.